Does anyone else get irritated when people refer to The Birth Control Pill as simply "birth control?" When anything that prevents conception is actually "birth control"

There are more than a dozen forms of well known, well used Birth Control. It irritates the hell out of me when people say, "I can't use birth control." Or "I'm on birth control." And I ask, "What kind are you using?" And they say, "I can't remember the brand." WHAT?

The phrase "birth control" means ANY device or drug or action that prevents conception.

There are other forms of birth control other than The Birth Control Pill. When you are on The Pill say "The Pill" or "The Birth Control Pill" NOT "birth control" as it is too general of a term and very confusing, especially to health care providers. (Yes, I have patients who do this, and it leads to a confusing conversation and charting difficulties, not to mention colors my and the doctor I'm working with's perception of that patient.)

Condoms are birth controlWithdrawal is birth control (In fact, it is the most used and oldest form of birth control in the world)
A Cervical Cap is birth controlSpermicidal foam, gel-lee and film are birth controlA Diaphragm is birth controlAn IUD is birth controlSterilization, both the tying of tubes, blocking the tubes and vasectomy are both birth control.

I know I'm not the only person who knows this. Right?

Who wants to call a moratorium on the general use of the word "birth control" to mean ONLY The Birth Control Pill? As there are many forms of Birth Control and they are all not The Pill.

OK, I'm kind of ranting. But, seriously.

Multiple answers are acceptable. Private voting, because, honestly, if you didn't know that at least condoms were a form of birth control.....

Answers (private voting - your screen name will NOT appear in the results):

Yes, let's use the proper phrases for things (for instance "birth control" means more than just The Pill)

34

No, I like my dialogue with others to be confusing and misrepresetative

6

I thought the only form of birth conrtrol WAS The Pill

I had NO idea that condoms were a form of birth control

1

I had no idea a Diaphram was a form of birth control

1

I had no idea a Cervical Cap was a form of birth control

1

I had no idea spermicides were a form of birth control

1

I had NO idea that an IUD was a form of birth control

1

I had no idea that withdrawal (for some) is a form of birth control

1

The use of the word "birth control" for ONLY The Birth Control Pill bugs the crap outta me, too

19

We need better Sex Education that includes information and terminology about ALL forms of birth control

Other. I don't mind them saying "I'm on birth control" and all that. But when they respond they don't know what kind, it just makes them look stupid and I ask what form. So I guess my best answer would be more education. I myself even say I'm on birth control. But when asked what kind, I say "The Pill" or "Depo". But really, it doesn't annoy me.

If someone says, "Are you on birth control?" I take it to mean "Are you doing something that prevents pregnancy?" However, it is kind of annoying that by "birth control," the speaker is usually referring to the pill.

I don't see what the big deal is and why to get all worked up over it? Most people that I know refer to the pill as birth control and will say that, so what? I know what they mean, if I would have to know specifically, I would ask the person to be specific. So, most people just assume that where I'm from and how I came to know of it. I would be offended if my doctor/nurse/ect was rude, got impatient with me, or made me feel stupid because I used a general word and not the specific one....

I can't say it really bothers me too much. If I personally/professiona lly need more information (as in I will be having sex with them or they were under medical care, ect) I will ask what form of birth control. Allowing people to simply say birth control as a general term allows them to say "yes, I am doing something to prevent pregnancy" without having to go into what they think are personal or embarrassing details. After all those that require surgery are very personal and anything involving sex can be embarrassing for many people.

Plus context can give a lot of detail: Let us take "I am on birth control"
"I am on Condoms"
"I am on Withdrawal"
"I am on A Cervical Cap"
"I am on Spermicidal foam"
"I am on A Diaphragm"
"I am on An IUD"
"I am on Sterilization"
"I am on vasectomy"
"I am on the pill"
Which one of those sounds correct? To me it is the one that states "I use X medication".

But, you know what "irritates the hell out of me" about the way people ask questions? When they phrase the answers so that the only answer that disagrees with the questioner's point of view has a completely negative connotation to it. For example: "No, I like my dialogue with others to be confusing and misrepresetative". There is no "No, society at large understands the contextual differences or the difference between I have birth control versus I am on birth control", "No, it varies with the situation, someone has voluntarily given you a piece of personal information, unless it directly effects you you have no right to demand more personal information." or even an "It depends on the situation"/"other"/"No , I'll explain why"

If you have read this far I want to be clear, speaking to a medical professional about your form of birth control is a situation that may/should require a greater deal of specificity that simply stating you use a form of birth control, medicine in your body, possible interactions, possible allergic reactions, high chances of pregnancy with some methods, and past surgeries are all relevant to the provision of medical care. You reference being in the medical field, thus in that professional life I can see the need for more information and the annoyance with people using a catch all phrase. But, in one's personal life in my opinion you have no right or expectation of that information.

I don't mean to come off as attacking and I am sorry if I did. The level of inconvenience of having to rephrase or ask another question varies by situation.

This comes up all the time with people making assumptions that birth control is the "pill". I was recently annoyed when I was asked by the nurse at my PCP if I am on birth control, I said yes. She followed up with what brand? My answer was an IUD....placed by my GYN.

There are many possible answers to the question and from the people I deal with, the pill is frequently used, so are so many of the other methods, including, a Diaphragm which I also used for awhile.

There are more than a dozen forms of well known, well used Birth Control. It irritates the hell out of me when people say, "I can't use birth control." Or "I'm on birth control." And I ask, "What kind are you
...

There are more than a dozen forms of well known, well used Birth Control. It irritates the hell out of me when people say, "I can't use birth control." Or "I'm on birth control." And I ask, "What kind are you using?" And they say, "I can't remember the brand." WHAT?

The phrase "birth control" means ANY device or drug or action that prevents conception.

There are other forms of birth control other than The Birth Control Pill. When you are on The Pill say "The Pill" or "The Birth Control Pill" NOT "birth control" as it is too general of a term and very confusing, especially to health care providers. (Yes, I have patients who do this, and it leads to a confusing conversation and charting difficulties, not to mention colors my and the doctor I'm working with's perception of that patient.)

Condoms are birth controlWithdrawal is birth control (In fact, it is the most used and oldest form of birth control in the world)A Cervical Cap is birth controlSpermicidal foam, gel-lee and film are birth controlA Diaphragm is birth controlAn IUD is birth controlSterilization, both the tying of tubes, blocking the tubes and vasectomy are both birth control.

I know I'm not the only person who knows this. Right?

Who wants to call a moratorium on the general use of the word "birth control" to mean ONLY The Birth Control Pill? As there are many forms of Birth Control and they are all not The Pill.

OK, I'm kind of ranting. But, seriously.

Multiple answers are acceptable. Private voting, because, honestly, if you didn't know that at least condoms were a form of birth control.....

There really should be an "It doesn't bother me" poll option instead of all the options you gave about our knowledge of birth control or "i like my dialogue to be confusing" which is just rude

There really should be an "It doesn't bother me" poll option instead of all the options you gave about our knowledge of birth control or "i like my dialogue to be confusing" which is just rude

Agreed. It's not really confusing--in my experience, most people know what you mean when you say "I'm on birth control," and they know that there are other ways to prevent pregnancy than the pill. It's implied, but if you need specifics, you can always ask. It's nothing to get worked up over. I understand that you work in the medical field and it might affect you in a different way, but for a lot of us...it's a "so what?" not a "I don't understand/I am inarticulate" thing.

I chose the No option (even if it is condescending) given that there was no 'other' option : /

I agree with what Geogeo said.

I am aware that there are different types of birth control; when I talk about the subject of birth control my friends understand that I am on the Pill and not trying to confuse them. I do agree that we need better sex ed.

There are more than a dozen forms of well known, well used Birth Control. It irritates the hell out of me when people say, "I can't use birth control." Or "I'm on birth control." And I ask, "What kind are you
...

There are more than a dozen forms of well known, well used Birth Control. It irritates the hell out of me when people say, "I can't use birth control." Or "I'm on birth control." And I ask, "What kind are you using?" And they say, "I can't remember the brand." WHAT?

The phrase "birth control" means ANY device or drug or action that prevents conception.

There are other forms of birth control other than The Birth Control Pill. When you are on The Pill say "The Pill" or "The Birth Control Pill" NOT "birth control" as it is too general of a term and very confusing, especially to health care providers. (Yes, I have patients who do this, and it leads to a confusing conversation and charting difficulties, not to mention colors my and the doctor I'm working with's perception of that patient.)

Condoms are birth controlWithdrawal is birth control (In fact, it is the most used and oldest form of birth control in the world)A Cervical Cap is birth controlSpermicidal foam, gel-lee and film are birth controlA Diaphragm is birth controlAn IUD is birth controlSterilization, both the tying of tubes, blocking the tubes and vasectomy are both birth control.

I know I'm not the only person who knows this. Right?

Who wants to call a moratorium on the general use of the word "birth control" to mean ONLY The Birth Control Pill? As there are many forms of Birth Control and they are all not The Pill.

OK, I'm kind of ranting. But, seriously.

Multiple answers are acceptable. Private voting, because, honestly, if you didn't know that at least condoms were a form of birth control.....

Yes, let's use the proper phrases for things (for instance "birth control" means more than just The Pill)

It doesn't really bother me to the extent that it does you but I understand what you're saying.

I feel the same as DynamicKitty. I totally understand this bugging you, because there are similar things that bug me. This particular thing though, not so much. But it's totally understandable. In fact, now that you pointed it out, it might start bugging me too. lol

I understand your point however someone can't be "on" condoms, withdrawal, or sterilization. Therefore I assume they mean some sort of prescription chemical birth control, although it doesn't have to be a pill (could be an implant, etc.) And it is the taking of this drug that they are "on", just like someone can be on allergy medicine or high on drugs. So I don't have a problem with that phrase.

Since this seems to be a common occurrence with your patients, can't you just ask the next follow-up question, "Are you on the pill?" I bet most of the ones that give you that answer are. I assume it's not the only medically inaccurate answer your patients give that requires a follow-up question from you.

I don't know anyone that has been mislead or hurt by the phrase. I don't think that people on the pill are unaware that using condoms is also a method of preventing pregnancy. And when teachers tell kids to use some form of birth control, I think they know the difference between that use of the word and being "on" birth control.

As pointed out above, I also agree that the correct term is contraception. But we don't always use the correct scientific term for everything in everyday speech.

What a biased (and slightly mean) poll... I'm going to be honest, I refer to my birth control pill simply as "birth control" on a daily basis. My friends know what I'm referring to when my alarm goes off and I pop a pill every day. While I can understand why it would bother you, it doesn't bother me--and it has nothing to do with wanting my conversations to be "confusing" and "misrepresentative." If I was have an open discussion about methods of birth control with someone, then yes, I would refer to a pill contraceptive as a birth control pill: but for my daily life, it's not necessary to specify that it's a pill any more than it is for me to say "I'm going to use the bathroom, you know... The toilet."